Roy V Lewis

Lurking in the Shadows: German Sabotage in America During Wwi and Impact on Future Laws and Cases Roy V Lewis

Publisher Marketing: There have been many occasions since the birth of the United States when sabotage and sedition has impacted this country. Chapter 7 outlines many of the country's early efforts to protect itself in the name of national security by passing legislation to deal with acts of sabotage or sedition. When we were fighting the British to establish this country during the Revolutionary War, we were at war with primarily only one country. But World War I changed all that as the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire) squared off against the Triple Entente (Britain, France, and Russia). America tried to remain neutral but ended up shooting itself in the foot by not truly remaining neutral at all. Germany was very aware of what America was secretly doing. In their estimation we were supplying their enemies with arms, supplies and other resources, which was the truth. From Germany's point of view, this could not be tolerated. To counter this, Germany set up a spy network to sabotage our efforts to support our allies. Chapters 1-5 outlined just exactly what sabotage was committed on behalf of Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm II. In this author's opinion, these acts of sabotage against the United States had a tremendous impact on how America and its political and judicial processes would act in the future to protect the country and its people from harm. If there is a lesson to be learned from all the laws and cases on sabotage, sedition, or the infamous Patriot Act, it is that a never-ending balance must be achieved between national security and the U. S. Constitution's protection of freedoms, civil rights or civil liberties. The greatest danger to the U. S. Constitution and our freedoms is our own national collective fears, paranoia and anxieties.